While police closely monitored the situation to keep it from degenerating into violence outside the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) headquarters, job seekers in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, resumed their protest for the third day on Thursday.

In the afternoon, demonstrators stormed to the Commission’s headquarters after smashing barriers on a route that led to the UPPSC office from a roundabout close to Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Civil Lines.

As was previously the case, the agitated students are calling for the next Provincial Civil Services (PCS) and Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) tests to be administered in a single shift.

They think this will improve the process’s fairness and manageability.

One of the demonstrators, Sushil Kumar, told IANS, “Our colleagues have been detained.Not even water is being supplied to them. We are neither terrorists, criminals, or opposition party sympathizers.

He demanded “one day, one shift exams” and said that the UPPSC’s suggested normalization method would penalize candidates who took the test during the first shift.

Another Prayagraj student who was protesting, Ajay Gupta, said, “We are against the abrupt request to utilize the normalization method. It wasn’t included in the original test announcement, but it was proposed around two weeks ago.

He defended the students’ breaching of barriers and hasty approach to the UPPSC chairman and secretary’s offices.

“We want to speak up so they will take our demands seriously,” he said.

The Commission has agreed to hold two sessions of PCS preliminary exams on December 7 and 8. Three shifts of the RO and ARO preliminary exams are scheduled for December 22 and 23.

According to UPPSC officials, their negotiations with protesters have not advanced.

According to them, the demonstrators were asked for recommendations on how to keep the exam transparent while closing any leaks.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said on Thursday that the state government supports the protesting UPPSC candidates, despite claims that political workers are joining the demonstrators.

According to him, authorities have been directed by the administration to resolve the standoff.

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP), had blamed the Uttar Pradesh government, headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, for “playing with their future” by using police to quell protesting UPPSC candidates on Wednesday.

In the meanwhile, 12 people were charged with mischief after a demonstration on Tuesday night by Uttar Pradesh Police.

Twelve people have been the subject of a formal complaint. “A few individuals have also been placed under arrest,” said Abhishek Bharti, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Prayagraj.